One of the favorite vegetables that we grow in almost every summer cottage is tomato. Tomatoes are often grown, not just as a complement to the home table, but also for the purpose of earning. After all, early tomatoes are always in price and are in demand by customers.
What are tomatoes good for?
This vegetable is good for both men and women. The benefit for the male population is the prevention of prostate cancer, in women regular consumption of tomatoes in food reduces the likelihood of developing cervical cancer. Also, tomatoes slow down the development of other cancer cells.
For diabetics (type II), it is recommended to use fresh tomatoes in the diet, as they regulate the amount of insulin in the blood.
It was noted that the regular inclusion of tomatoes in the diet can improve the general condition of the skin, vision. Also, the trace elements that make up this vegetable contribute to the normalization of the digestive and cardiovascular systems.
All of the above applies only to those vegetables that were grown without the use of chemical fertilizers.
Cultivation methods
So what methods of growing tomato seedlings at home are used? The main two:
- Outdoor cultivation.
- Growing in a greenhouse.
Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, but consider these conditions for growing tomato seedlings in order.
Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse
A lot of crops are grown on the summer cottage, a more specific choice of what to plant depends on local climatic conditions. Early plantings can be beaten by night frosts, which are not uncommon even in early May in many regions of Russia. Therefore, heat-loving crops such as tomatoes are best planted in greenhouse conditions. This will guarantee that tomatoes do not die during seedlings from frost, and in addition, the temperature in the greenhouse is always higher than the average on the street, which is one of the most important factors for ripening tomatoes.
Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse traditionally begins earlier than in open ground. For the middle strip, it is recommended to plant seedlings in early May. The best varieties of tomatoes for growing in a greenhouse will be early ripe.
But do not mistakenly assume that growing vegetables in a greenhouse does not need to be taken care of. In fact, care should be regular, and most importantly - right. Tomatoes should not only be watered, but also regularly sprayed and ventilated to exclude the appearance of various diseases.
For watering tomatoes, it is convenient to use a plastic bucket with a volume of 12 liters, that is how much water is required during the flowering period and the appearance of fruits per 1 square meter. Watering itself begins no earlier than 12 days from the moment of planting the tomatoes, and the first time (until the tomatoes bloom) they are given no more than 4 liters of water per square meter.
The irrigation frequency is 5-6 days, the soil should not be excessively wet or dry. You also need to be careful about the water used for irrigation, its temperature should not be lower than 22 degrees. Periodically, the greenhouse is aired, it is recommended to shake the inflorescences before this, this is necessary for pollination of plants. The most favorable time for this is midday heat, so the tomatoes will not overheat (due to the ventilation of the greenhouse), and at the same time, pollination of flowers will occur. Do not forget, after you shake the flower, sprinkle it with water.
Closely monitor the temperature in the greenhouse itself, the optimal range for tomatoes is 19-22 degrees during the day, and at night 16-20 degrees. During the ripening period of tomatoes, the temperature should be a couple of degrees higher, the maximum mark - 27 degrees. These conditions for growing tomatoes must be strictly observed.
To better control the temperature in the greenhouse, provide small windows when designing it.
Choosing an outdoor place
If you plan to grow tomatoes in the open ground, you need to take a number of protective and preparatory measures. So, even in the fall, compost fertilizers, as well as manure, should be added to the site of your choice. This will create a breeding ground for plants, which is a guarantee of a good harvest.
The choice of a landing site should be approached carefully, in particular, growing tomatoes in soil in the same place for two consecutive years is unacceptable. Also, planting tomatoes after potatoes is also not worth it, but where cabbage or beans grew, you can.
Well, the last condition - the site should be well lit, as tomatoes need enough light to grow.
Seedling preparation
Growing tomato seedlings at home is a very troublesome, but interesting business. It is important to choose the right time for planting, it depends on how much seedlings have time to grow by the time it is transferred to open ground.
So, if you want to grow tomatoes of early ripe varieties, then seedlings should be planted in the first half of March. But when growing late-ripening and tall varieties, seedlings are prepared in mid-February.
If you want to grow tomato seedlings faster, then take care of additional lighting. It is not difficult to do this, just install a daylight lamp above the box or cups where the seedlings are planted.
Seeds can be used both their own and purchased. But no matter what seeds are used, they should be properly prepared. For this purpose, it is better to use the proven method: in a 1 percent solution of potassium permanganate they are disinfected, then they are kept for another day in a damp cloth soaked in water with Epin's solution. After that, the seeds are ready for planting.
Special soil for tomatoes is poured into containers for planting (it can also be planted in a simple one, but seed germination will be less), then seeds are placed one from one at a distance of 3 cm. They are slightly pressed into the soil, but not buried.
The favorable temperature for growing tomato seedlings at home is 22-24 degrees. At lower they will grow worse, and with a lack of illumination they will become elongated and thin.
The daylight hours for tomato seedlings should be 16 hours, and the lighting should be scattered. Direct sunlight is harmful to plants!
Watering seedlings and picking
Until that moment, until the first leaves appear, the soil near the plants is only slightly moistened. Subsequently, watering is carried out under the root as the soil dries.
Growing tomato seedlings at home suggests its picking. To do this, 2-3 days before the proposed picking, plants are intensely watered so that they are saturated with moisture.
Picking is carried out if there are 2-3 strong leaves on the plant. The plant is removed from the soil, and the tip of the root is trimmed - this will give an incentive to the growth of branch roots.
The plant is transplanted into a large container to the level of cotyledon leaves and slightly watered.
Remember that for irrigation you can use only settled water at room temperature, and in no case boiled.
Landing time
Before proceeding to planting in open ground, it is worth making sure that tomatoes grown at home are ready for this. This is evidenced by several signs:
- seedling height should be at least 30 cm;
- flower brushes become noticeable on plants;
- on plants there are 7-9 leaves.
The time of plant transfer to the soil depends on the climatic conditions in the region. For the middle lane, this is the end of May and the first half of June. If you intend to use a film to protect against frost, you can plant a couple of weeks earlier.
For the northern regions, the timing of planting seedlings in the ground is shifted 2-3 weeks ahead. Proper cultivation of tomatoes at home allows you to achieve a good harvest in Siberia, this is done by planting seedlings on time and transporting them to the ground when the risk of night frosts has already passed.
Tomato care and watering
As with greenhouse cultivation, tomatoes growing in open ground need timely and sufficient watering. The growth and productivity of plants, as well as their resistance to various diseases, depends on this.
The optimal norm for irrigation is considered to be 10 liters per 1 square meter of area. Water should not be icy, taken directly from the well. It is better to collect water in advance so that it can stand.
Watering itself is carried out in the evening, when the sun sets. Do not water the tomatoes in the heat of the day, as this will only harm them.
Regularly inspect the tomatoes for diseases and pests, and if necessary, carry out preventive treatment.
Herding tomatoes
Without pinching tomatoes it is impossible to achieve a large crop. Among some gardeners there is an opinion that the process is useless, and a more branched plant has more power. Most of them do not seek to do this because of laziness. Allegedly, a large amount of work is being done: tomatoes are weeded, fed, watered. Unfortunately, they are mistaken.
In order for the pinching process to affect productivity, it is necessary to correctly approach it. This method has the greatest influence on indeterminate varieties, which, in turn, are distinguished by their tallness. Many gardeners prefer such varieties. This is understandable, they are less whimsical, grow faster in seedlings and prefer early planting in the greenhouse. In addition, they are easier to pinch. Pasynkovka can be carried out in greenhouses made of cellular polycarbonate or any other material.
To make it clearer, we will clarify that the stepson is a side shoot that takes a large amount of food from the plant. And the process of pinching consists in the removal of these processes.
The stepson is recognized easily. It is usually located at the base of the leaves of the main stem. They grow fast enough. Do not bring the tomatoes to full overgrowth of the main shoot. Excessive vegetation reduces fruiting. In addition, moisture accumulates in unnecessary leaves, which subsequently will give impetus to the development of late blight.
To begin with, determine the number of stems that you are going to leave. The best is a single-stemmed option. To form one stem, remove all stepsons and doubles, so that the main stem does not bifurcate. If you leave a stem and one stepson, choose the most suitable shoot in your opinion. Better leave the one that grew first under the first flower shoot. These stepsons are stronger than the rest.
Paschinovki spend at least once every 10 days.
There is a three-stem formation method. It consists in leaving the first and immediately following stepsons. If you want to choose this type of pinching, leave the maximum distance between them when planting, as they turn out to be more branched. Close proximity will obscure other tomatoes.
I would also like to note that pinching accelerates not only the growth rate, but also brings the fruit ripening time closer. Do not wait for frosts and mists that can provoke the development of late blight. In time, pinch the tomatoes so that they have time to ripen.
Disease prevention
Growing tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables always has one thing in common - this is the need to protect plants from various diseases and pests.
For tomatoes, late blight poses a major danger; it is from it that young plants most often die. And it’s better to be proactive than to subsequently try to cure diseased plants.
For processing plants, you can use both proven folk remedies, and produced special preparations. The latter, of course, are noticeably more effective, but do not forget that the plants absorb some of them into themselves and pass them into ripe tomatoes. But consider both methods, and which one to use is up to you.
Among fungicides, the most effective are:
- "Ridomil Gold". The solution is prepared on the basis that 10 grams of the drug will be needed for 4 liters of water. During the season, 4 treatments are carried out, plants are sprayed with the resulting solution in dry weather. The first treatment is carried out in the first vegetation, the following - with interruptions of 10-14 days.
- Thanos. This drug is considered to be one of the most effective against late blight. One of its characteristics is increased resistance to flushing, which allows less frequent treatment with this fungicide. The solution is prepared at the rate of 12 grams per 10 liters, the treatment is carried out in the first vegetation, then repeated after 8-12 days.
- "Acrobat MC". At the first signs of the disease, you can use this drug. It is prepared in this way: 20 grams of the drug are dissolved in 5 liters of water, mixed thoroughly. After processing the plants, take a break for two weeks.
- "Revus." Also an effective remedy. Apply three times: for the first time as a prophylaxis, then two more times with weekly breaks. To prepare, take a solution of 5 ml of the drug for every 5 liters of water.
There are many other reliable tools that will help get rid of late blight. Dosage and method of use are always indicated on the package.
Traditional methods of processing tomatoes
The methods of growing tomatoes, as well as the methods of processing them, may be different, but they have one goal - to get a good crop and prevent the development of diseases. By doing this with the help of folk remedies, you will not just save the crop, but it will also be environmentally friendly. But we all want to eat tasty and at the same time healthy food.
For preventive purposes, we recommend using the following composition: take 1 liter of whey per 10 liters of water, also add 25 drops of iodine. Stir and spray the leaves with this mixture from the moment they are planted; this solution is also suitable for watering.
They have long used a solution of ash. Take half a bucket of ash, pour water and leave for three days. Then the resulting mixture is diluted 1 to 3 with water and spraying is carried out. During the season, the procedure is repeated three times: the first after 2-4 days from the moment of growing the tomato in the ground, the second before flowering and the last time - when the ovaries form.
Garlic is also considered an effective remedy. Take 1.5 cups of chopped garlic in 1 bucket of water, insist a day and add 2 grams of potassium permanganate before processing. The procedure is carried out during the appearance of ovaries on the plants.
A good preventive effect is provided by the proximity of tomatoes with garlic, basil, onions and savory. In such a planting, the risk of pests and fungal diseases is significantly reduced.
Fertilizer application
As for the use of mineral and other fertilizers, they significantly improve the yield of tomatoes. But at the same time, one should not forget that any chemical microelement passes into plants and accumulates in them. Therefore, the grown tomatoes will contain chemical elements in high concentration, and they will not be any different from those that you see on the shelves.
But if you want to grow tomatoes on an industrial scale, then you can not do without fertilizers.
Soil preparation begins in the fall, first it is dug up and 400 grams of superphosphate and potassium chloride are added for every 10 square meters. Depth of application is 30 cm.
If you didn’t have time to do this in the autumn, then you can also apply fertilizers in the spring - use nitrophoska at the rate of 600 grams per 10 meters.
Of the folk methods, fertilizing with compost and ash has proven itself well (1.5 tablespoons of ash per 1 bucket of compost, fertilizer is applied to the furrows and to the planting pits themselves).
There are other methods of growing tomatoes at home, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. The above methods of cultivation are most optimal in terms of labor and potential yield.